Do you find yourself stuck in the same content creation rut? Do you have difficulty finding new creative ideas to write for your work? Is your brain drain causing your stress hormones to skyrocket to an all-time high?
Creating powerful content should be a pivotal part of your digital strategy. For example, you can build brand authority with content marketing. Additionally, writing for SEO helps drive traffic to your website. Here are five valuable tactics for you to get those ideas and words flowing.
Tips to Beat Writer’s Block
Change of Surroundings Boosts Creativity
Ideas or words won’t come to mind? Perhaps your lack of inspiration has something to do with your environment. A location change could help remove that mental block. As sitting in the same spot for too long can stagnate your creative process, try going for a walk outside or temporarily move your work to another area.
When you feed yourself new experiences, you can deviate from the same line of thought perpetrated by being in a monotonous environment. If you’re the type who prefers working in a specific spot or don’t have the luxury of doing so, try these manageable strategies:
- Do some decluttering. Some believe that clutter enhances creativity; to some extent, it could. However, if papers and stationaries are scattered all over your work desk, and you’re still staring blankly at your empty document, then it might be time for you to do a little bit of housekeeping.
- Add color to your workspace. If you can’t do anything about lighting or wall color, consider getting a colorful mug or a plant to decorate your work table.
- Reorganize the objects on your work desk. Switch around the placement of your belongings. A small change might be all you need to get rid of that mental block.
Did you notice a pattern in the strategies provided? In brief, what you want to do is make things different in your environment. Changing up your surroundings helps you make new connections between old ideas. If you’re interested to learn more about stimulus diversity and its impact on creativity, read this research.
Mind Mapping for More Content Ideas
Do you have a lot of notes but can’t seem to figure out how they all fit together? You may want to consider mind mapping for visual inspiration. It’s perfect for those with mental blocks as it breaks down the process into smaller parts. When you simplify ideas or topics, you leave more room for creativity.
If you’re not the pencil-and-paper type of person, there are numerous digital software out there that can help you create mind maps. Lucidchart, for instance, includes templates designed for brainstorming ideas.
Time Management to Speed Up Content Creation
Creating content that converts takes time and attention. How long is your attention span when writing articles? It is natural to be limited by our stamina and mental capacities, so forcing yourself to complete overwhelming tasks in bulk is more likely to work against you.
If you’re looking for a way to speed up your content writing and boost creativity, then this is one technique that might help: the Pomodoro Technique.
By splitting the tasks that you need to get done into 25-minute intervals, you condition yourself to focus better during these manageable time blocks. In addition, the five-minute break in between each creative block helps you re-energize before diving back in.
The Pomodoro Technique may be more effective if used together with other methods like mind mapping. Nevertheless, at least when it comes to content writing, give this method some consideration.
Need More Content Ideas? Find Social Media Groups Related to Your Niche
Is joining social media groups related to your niche an efficient tool for information-gathering or just another waste of time? The answer largely depends on which social media site you’re using, your niche, your target audience, and the content posted there.
Joining social media groups might not be helpful if the content they share and discuss does not fit your audience profile. On that note, getting involved with numerous groups across multiple channels may also be counter-productive. The key is to narrow it down to one or two social media platforms to give you the most results.
Once you know what groups best fit your niche, read member discussions. Find inspiration from the articles they share. You can even participate in the conversations if you’re up to it; this might prompt more great ideas. Create content based on user intent to achieve the best results.
Search Hashtags People Follow
Hashtags are not new, and they have been used to increase search engine optimization effectively.
For your content to be discoverable by others, you should include relevant hashtags in your posts. The more people see your material via these tags, the higher chance of it getting shared. You can connect with new prospects this way.
At the same time, following specific hashtags will allow you to discover your target audience’s interests. They may ask questions on posts that have caught their interest. These unanswered queries could be the answer to your content writing woes, so do have a go with this tactic.
Conclusion
Often, our greatest critic is ourselves. The Iceberg Illusion sheds light to readers about the true extent of effort that writers put into their work, but it can also serve as a great reminder to you, who produces the content.
Content creation is a continuous process. Therefore, it is both a skill and habit you must cultivate diligently. Periods of writer’s block are unavoidable, but implementing some of these techniques and tactics will make the process easier for you.
Author’s Bio: Sally Gan is Head of Marketing for FILT Pod, a community of business owners committed to driving each other’s brand forward on LinkedIn. She enjoys creating content for business owners who are looking to grow their brand visibility and reach.